The difficult Pinehurst No.2 course made a number of star names look ordinary during the opening two rounds of the US Open, with the list of those who didn’t make the cut to compete this weekend reading like a who’s who of golf.
There was no Tiger Woods teeing off on Saturday, which perhaps doesn’t come as a great surprise these days, after he missed the cut – but others failed on the fast and firm greens too, such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson and Jason Day, to name a few.
Major winners, all-time greats and two of the world’s top 10 struggled on the North Carolina course on the first and second day. Even world No.1 Scottie Scheffler – a man who had made at least one birdie in his last 168 rounds – toiled, though at five-over overall he did just make the cut.
The most recognizable name on the list of absentees this weekend is Woods, though it has been a number of years since the 48-year-old was a contender at majors. He shot 74 and 73 to finish seven-over overall.
The 15-time major champion made it to the weekend at the Masters but has now missed the cut at successive majors after falling away at the PGA Championship last month.
When asked by CNN’s Patrick Snell if he might have played his last US Open, Woods cast doubt on his future at the tournament and also at the Open Championship in the UK.
World No.5 Hovland missed the cut by a shot with his six-over overall, while world No.10 Homa also saw his championship end early.
According to the US Open, some players are drawing ‘X’ on their yardage book on the holes they should not miss the green, given how difficult some are playing.
Former world No.1 and two-time major winner Thomas was 11-over overall, but even further behind him on the leaderboard was Mickelson on 15-over overall.
Australian Day, a former world No.1, seemed comfortably on course to play beyond the halfway stage, but a dreadful final nine in his second round, where he shot a 41 – carding five bogeys and double bogey in his second round - saw him drop to eight over.
Fowler also started steadily on Thursday, but his game unravelled on Friday as he ended the day seven over, missing the cut by three shots.
CNN’s Jack Bantock contributed to reporting.
